Field of Dreams: Exploring America's Pastime and its Effect on Society
Modest Beginnings and Spectatorship
The origin story of baseball as a spectator sport leads us to the Elysian Fields just outside of Brooklyn, New York where the first formal game of baseball took place on June 19th, 1846. The New York Knickerbockers challenged and lost (a pitiful score of 23-1) to a group of cricket players. Although the game played in 1846 is not the exact game of baseball that we know and love today, it was the first time in recorded history that people had taken interest in watching baseball. From this point on, baseball was on the rise and was soon moved into established fields in the city. Zoom forward ten years to December 5th, 1856. It was on this day that baseball was first referred to as, "America's Pastime" by a writer in the Sunday New York Mercury. In just ten years, baseball had made a name for itself as the sport of our country. While this was partly because of the popularity found in playing baseball, it was mostly due to the fact that baseball games had become an experience. From take me out to the ballgame to the love of ballpark hotdogs, spectators had begun to take full advantage of baseball as something more than just a game.
As a game of modest beginnings, the rise of spectatorship forced baseball into a different space. Players began to make money (which was something that original teams such as the Knickerbockers were vehemently opposed to, in order to keep the integrity of the sport intact) and the number of professional teams increased. As the number of teams increased, popularity increased, allowing certain players to develop their own fan bases. The players we know today such as Ruth, Robinson, Williams and many more, are not only players, but household names.
The origin story of baseball as a spectator sport leads us to the Elysian Fields just outside of Brooklyn, New York where the first formal game of baseball took place on June 19th, 1846. The New York Knickerbockers challenged and lost (a pitiful score of 23-1) to a group of cricket players. Although the game played in 1846 is not the exact game of baseball that we know and love today, it was the first time in recorded history that people had taken interest in watching baseball. From this point on, baseball was on the rise and was soon moved into established fields in the city. Zoom forward ten years to December 5th, 1856. It was on this day that baseball was first referred to as, "America's Pastime" by a writer in the Sunday New York Mercury. In just ten years, baseball had made a name for itself as the sport of our country. While this was partly because of the popularity found in playing baseball, it was mostly due to the fact that baseball games had become an experience. From take me out to the ballgame to the love of ballpark hotdogs, spectators had begun to take full advantage of baseball as something more than just a game.
As a game of modest beginnings, the rise of spectatorship forced baseball into a different space. Players began to make money (which was something that original teams such as the Knickerbockers were vehemently opposed to, in order to keep the integrity of the sport intact) and the number of professional teams increased. As the number of teams increased, popularity increased, allowing certain players to develop their own fan bases. The players we know today such as Ruth, Robinson, Williams and many more, are not only players, but household names.
Baseball: Urban Sport or Rural Hobby?
People say the beauty of baseball as an American pastime can be found in its accessibility. Since its origin, baseball has been played in back alleys of big cities as well as on makeshift fields in middle America. While baseball is commonly known as a rural man's game, it's beginnings lead us to Brooklyn, New York.
Baseball is often thought of as a farmer's sport. However, the spread of the sport to rural America can mostly be attributed to the broadcast of baseball on the radio. Millions of people across the country sat and intently listened to broadcasts of baseball games, hoping to hear the crack of the bat as their favorite player stepped up to hit. While this increased popularity of the major league, it also increased the participation of farmers and other people in small towns across the country. This led to the creation of farm teams, which in modern baseball are minor league baseball teams in smaller towns that are linked with major league teams in big cities.
The rural trend in baseball is also somewhat reliant on race dynamics (which are discussed with more depth later). The popularity of baseball in cities declined among youth when black athletes began to favor sports like basketball over baseball. This pushed the popularity of the sport to the suburban and rural landscape. So although the major league teams continued to reside in the large cities of the United States, most other interest in the sport came from white farming men and their sons outside of the cities.
People say the beauty of baseball as an American pastime can be found in its accessibility. Since its origin, baseball has been played in back alleys of big cities as well as on makeshift fields in middle America. While baseball is commonly known as a rural man's game, it's beginnings lead us to Brooklyn, New York.
Baseball is often thought of as a farmer's sport. However, the spread of the sport to rural America can mostly be attributed to the broadcast of baseball on the radio. Millions of people across the country sat and intently listened to broadcasts of baseball games, hoping to hear the crack of the bat as their favorite player stepped up to hit. While this increased popularity of the major league, it also increased the participation of farmers and other people in small towns across the country. This led to the creation of farm teams, which in modern baseball are minor league baseball teams in smaller towns that are linked with major league teams in big cities.
The rural trend in baseball is also somewhat reliant on race dynamics (which are discussed with more depth later). The popularity of baseball in cities declined among youth when black athletes began to favor sports like basketball over baseball. This pushed the popularity of the sport to the suburban and rural landscape. So although the major league teams continued to reside in the large cities of the United States, most other interest in the sport came from white farming men and their sons outside of the cities.
Representation of Baseball in Film and the Role of Baseball in Pop Culture
Many of the ideas regarding baseball that are prevalent in our society come directly from the presence of baseball in film. In order to show the impact of baseball in film I have looked at three specific movies. From the time we are young, our heroes become Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid and Scotty Smalls. We know The Field Of Dreams, The Rookie and The Sandlot. Field of Dreams, tells a story that brings us back to a basic love for the game. The film was so popular after its release that the true life Field of Dreams in Dubuque County, Iowa is still a tourist site more than 25 years later. The Field of Dreams represents more than just the American Dream, but it highlights the importance of the baseball field and the holy land that speaks to baseball fans everywhere. The Rookie, is yet another classic comeback story. A concept that is so familiar in sports movies, and so familiar to sports fans. The third film, The Sandlot, is a coming of age tale that has elements every kid in America can relate to. Lessons about life, love, friendship and not stealing your step-dad's autographed Babe Ruth baseball have made this film timeless. Sports movies inspire us all, but baseball movies have become a vehicle for popular culture and one would be hard pressed to find a person who hasn't heard the famous lines, "you're killin' me smalls." 15 Best Baseball Films |
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"Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world" -Babe Ruth |
Baseball as a Beacon of Hope
Baseball is an aspect of American life that has stayed constant through the trials and tribulations that have confronted our society over the past 200 years. From the Great Depression--which saw a decline in baseball spectatorship--to more modern national and international issues such as 9/11, baseball has served as a point of regularity. The game of baseball creates a certain kind of sense of national pride that isn't present in any other sport. This nationalism that is created though the claim of baseball as "America's sport," is integral in the definition of American society. While the major implications of nationalism, as discussed in lecture were imperialism and colonialism, the creation and pride found in specific cultural practices is also an important aspect of the concept. The staggering devastation that followed the attacks on September 11th, 2001 was something that shook our country to the very core. The Yankees played in the World Series that year against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Although they were not victorious in the end, in this World Series the Yankees stood for more than just baseball. The New York Yankees served as a force greater than that of the terror that had been instilled in Americans post 9/11. The whole world had eyes on the series between the Yankees and the Diamondbacks. The involvement in the series even included a first pitch from then President George W. Bush. Down 3-1 in the fourth game, two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning.. The game was over until Tino Martinez stepped up to bat. Hitting a home run and restoring life to the crowd in Yankee Stadium, Martinez started a chain reaction that ended in Yankee victory, keeping them in the series. The cheers that erupted in Brooklyn at this moment were surely incomparable to anything else the sport had ever seen. It has been stated on multiple occasions that there must have been a divine intervention on the Yankees behalf that night. So--in a time of profound loss of life and direction in America, baseball was able to act as a force of unity a source of nationalism and a beacon of hope. |
The Use of Baseball in Advertising
Baseball carrying the extreme popularity that it does, one can only assume that corporations exploit this popularity in order to make money. One major industry that used advertising to reach out to baseball fans was tobacco companies. As chewing tobacco has always been something associated with baseball players, tobacco executives capitalized off of this trend by releasing many print ads that featured baseball players endorsing their product. Special packaging was created in order to make it easier for baseball players to keep chewing tobacco close at hand (pictured at the right). This was extremely effective no only for selling the idea of chewing tobacco to baseball players, but to those who sought to be like their heroes on the field. Modern day baseball has a different role in advertising. Players like Alex Rodriguez (featured in the "Got Milk?" campaign) seek to promote a more positive message for their fans. |
Racial Dynamics in Major League Baseball
In many ways baseball has been ahead of its time. We are aware of the ways in which society evolves and how these changes are reflected in baseball, but it is also important to pinpoint the instances in which baseball has acted as a catalyst for social change. One major example of this is found in the racial dynamics of the game.
Coach Sean Kenny played from 1993-1996 in Savannah, Georgia. "The Savannah Sand Gnats, an affiliate of the New York Mets, had signage up that said "Negros only." It wasn’t until recently that they took this sign down. The sign was left as a tribute to exemplify what the franchise went through. In the current major league approximately 1/3 of a team is made up of Latinos, and African Americans. While this is a widely accepted reality, there are still racial tension."
In 1920, the Negro National League was created for African American players that were barred from major league teams due to the Jim Crow Laws. It wasn't until 1945 that Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play in the major leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers. This progress came far before equality in many other arenas. So while baseball holds a relationship with greater social forces going on in the world—and is no doubt affected by those—the same forces operate within the game of baseball and the kind of world that baseball is in and of itself. These ideas are then transferred into society.
Negro League Baseball Museum
In many ways baseball has been ahead of its time. We are aware of the ways in which society evolves and how these changes are reflected in baseball, but it is also important to pinpoint the instances in which baseball has acted as a catalyst for social change. One major example of this is found in the racial dynamics of the game.
Coach Sean Kenny played from 1993-1996 in Savannah, Georgia. "The Savannah Sand Gnats, an affiliate of the New York Mets, had signage up that said "Negros only." It wasn’t until recently that they took this sign down. The sign was left as a tribute to exemplify what the franchise went through. In the current major league approximately 1/3 of a team is made up of Latinos, and African Americans. While this is a widely accepted reality, there are still racial tension."
In 1920, the Negro National League was created for African American players that were barred from major league teams due to the Jim Crow Laws. It wasn't until 1945 that Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play in the major leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers. This progress came far before equality in many other arenas. So while baseball holds a relationship with greater social forces going on in the world—and is no doubt affected by those—the same forces operate within the game of baseball and the kind of world that baseball is in and of itself. These ideas are then transferred into society.
Negro League Baseball Museum
Baseball Abroad: Not an Exclusive Pastime
"I had some friends who played over there.. (In Japan) Performance matters the most in foreign leagues. Although they conform to some new practices and rules, they respect the traditions. One huge difference between American and Japanese leagues is that there is no discrimination because of race. The Japanese consider players solely based performance." -Coach Sean Kenny
We are aware of the ways in which the United States has adopted athletic traditions that began in other countries. This same kind of cultural spread also applies to the sport of baseball. Charlie Bright's lecture confronted many issues and different ways of looking at the idea of globalization. One way that knowledge can be applied to this topic is through looking at globalization through the appropriation of sports from one culture to another. Examples of this include European fútbol (American Soccer) and lacrosse (which was initially a game developed by Native Americans). In the case of baseball, globalization can be seen in a positive light. If one puts aside all of the heinous concepts (imperialism, loss of distinct culture, creation of economic competition boundaries) that are often associated with globalization one can look at the act of globalization as a sharing of goods, ideas and national pastimes. The popularity of baseball in Japan shines a light on globalization and points out the value and a unity that is created between countries that share and compete in tessathletic tradition.
It truly speaks to the purity and accessibility of baseball that it received the same kind of warm reception in Japan. Baseball is one of Japan's most popular sports, introduced to the country in 1872. While the rules and instruments differ slightly, the love of the game is the same.
Nippon Professional Baseball Statistics
"I had some friends who played over there.. (In Japan) Performance matters the most in foreign leagues. Although they conform to some new practices and rules, they respect the traditions. One huge difference between American and Japanese leagues is that there is no discrimination because of race. The Japanese consider players solely based performance." -Coach Sean Kenny
We are aware of the ways in which the United States has adopted athletic traditions that began in other countries. This same kind of cultural spread also applies to the sport of baseball. Charlie Bright's lecture confronted many issues and different ways of looking at the idea of globalization. One way that knowledge can be applied to this topic is through looking at globalization through the appropriation of sports from one culture to another. Examples of this include European fútbol (American Soccer) and lacrosse (which was initially a game developed by Native Americans). In the case of baseball, globalization can be seen in a positive light. If one puts aside all of the heinous concepts (imperialism, loss of distinct culture, creation of economic competition boundaries) that are often associated with globalization one can look at the act of globalization as a sharing of goods, ideas and national pastimes. The popularity of baseball in Japan shines a light on globalization and points out the value and a unity that is created between countries that share and compete in tessathletic tradition.
It truly speaks to the purity and accessibility of baseball that it received the same kind of warm reception in Japan. Baseball is one of Japan's most popular sports, introduced to the country in 1872. While the rules and instruments differ slightly, the love of the game is the same.
Nippon Professional Baseball Statistics
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